I have a shortlist of 5 cars. Which should I buy?

I have a shortlist of 5 cars. Which should I buy?

Author
Discussion

IDontKnowCars

Original Poster:

172 posts

109 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
UPDATE: Only now considering the Nissan Almera. However, I am concerned about the price. It seems too low. Is this car any good?


I have spent the past week narrowing down all suitable cars on AutoTrader, Gumtree, Craigslist and motors.co.uk and got down to these 5. The thing is, I know nothing about cars at all.

I just need a reliable car that is unlikely to break down or need repairs for my first car.

Out of these, which is best for me to go for?

(Insurance is irrelevant. As you can see in the image, all are almost identical).


http://i.imgur.com/ixsSC2p.png?1 (In tabular form)

Nissan Almera - http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...


Edited by IDontKnowCars on Friday 27th February 20:42

MissChief

7,095 posts

167 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
Can't really go wrong with a Honda, although the mark 2 Focus with FSH would seem a good bet also. As always buy on condition and MOT (although an MOT is only an indicator of roadworthyness, NOT reliability) rather than getting hung up on mileage.

BritishRacinGrin

24,602 posts

159 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
First car? Have you got insurance quotes for all of them?

schmalex

13,616 posts

205 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
It sounds flippant, but if it's your first car, get the one that costs the least to insure and has the longest service intervals, cheapest service prices and "fits" you the best. All mainstream cars nowadays are pretty much of muchness when it comes to reliability, so don't be swayed by internet horror stories of a particular model.

psymonr

148 posts

180 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
I would be inclined to take what I believe to be the only car on that list with a camchain, the almera,

rat840771

2,023 posts

164 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
They are all good, drive them all and take the one you prefer.

We had a Nissan primera and it was brilliant and yes has a camchain.


DanielSan

18,747 posts

166 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
Honda or Mazda. Whichever is cheaper to insure.

IDontKnowCars

Original Poster:

172 posts

109 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
Some of you have mentioned insurance. See the first image for my insurance quotes. All of them are essentially identical.

I saw somebody mention the Honda. However I am concerned that one of the photos it seems that the wheels are rusty, the inside looks a little overwork (like it was a work car of something). The back seems to have been resprayed with spray paint in parts.

Only the fords have service histories too. I was told to usually only get used cars if they have service histories. Should I be concerned with the others having no services?

TTwiggy

11,500 posts

203 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
If the silver focus really has FSH then it looks the best bet to me. Never owned one but I understand they are well regarded cars and nice to drive.

IDontKnowCars

Original Poster:

172 posts

109 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
TTwiggy said:
If the silver focus really has FSH then it looks the best bet to me. Never owned one but I understand they are well regarded cars and nice to drive.
Is an upgrade from a partial service history (The black focus) to a full service history (The silver) worth £300 though?

Other than the service history, they are essentially identical cars.

Calza

1,979 posts

114 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
Remember tax doesn't carry over - you'll have to put at least 6 months on whatever vehicle you buy.

TTwiggy

11,500 posts

203 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
IDontKnowCars said:
TTwiggy said:
If the silver focus really has FSH then it looks the best bet to me. Never owned one but I understand they are well regarded cars and nice to drive.
Is an upgrade from a partial service history (The black focus) to a full service history (The silver) worth £300 though?

Other than the service history, they are essentially identical cars.
The link doesn't work on the black one so maybe it's sold?

It's hard to say what value FSH has at the price point you're considering, but it would generally indicate that the owner has cared for the vehicle. That said, if the owner was good with a spanner and had done their own servicing, that wouldn't put me off.

IDontKnowCars

Original Poster:

172 posts

109 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
TTwiggy said:
The link doesn't work on the black one so maybe it's sold?

It's hard to say what value FSH has at the price point you're considering, but it would generally indicate that the owner has cared for the vehicle. That said, if the owner was good with a spanner and had done their own servicing, that wouldn't put me off.
I just noticed the black car link too. I think it may have sold. It is still listed on motors.co.uk though.

http://www.motors.co.uk/car-37220715/14/sr

TommoAE86

2,659 posts

126 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
Most people say buy on condition over ticking a "checklist" of what you should look for.

Much as I do like the Nissan & the Mazda, both of them look like home dealers so just be aware that you're unlikely to have any comeback without aggro (I could be wrong and they have their back to the business premises).

Can you take anyone with you?

IDontKnowCars

Original Poster:

172 posts

109 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
TommoAE86 said:
Most people say buy on condition over ticking a "checklist" of what you should look for.

Much as I do like the Nissan & the Mazda, both of them look like home dealers so just be aware that you're unlikely to have any comeback without aggro (I could be wrong and they have their back to the business premises).

Can you take anyone with you?
The only one of them that was a trade seller has just said that the car (the first focus) has sold. They are all private sellers from now on.

IDontKnowCars

Original Poster:

172 posts

109 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
UPDATE:

I am now down to three cars.

My opinions on the remaining 3.

Nissan: Might be a good car - but the insurance is £300 more than than actual car and it looks kind of ugly.

Ford: From my research, it is the least reliable of all the cars. I don't know if I should be expecting this to break down all the time or not?

Honda: Very worried about the rust that is around the wheels. If the alloys are that rusted, will the break disks be the same? The interior also looks very work as if it were a work car.

white_goodman

4,042 posts

190 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
OP, to be honest, they'll probably all be fine. Personally, as someone who has an interest in cars and enjoys driving, I would probably take the "Focus 2" if you can afford it, although isn't it still a Focus 1? (the seller seems to think it's a Fiesta)! I have never owned one but hear that they are generally reliable and are fun to drive (I think they require a specific grade of oil though)? A more complete service history is a good thing in my opinion, as you know that someone has tried to look after it and you're potentially saving yourself the extra initial outlay and then some further down the line. Personally, whether buying from a dealer or privately, I would always insist on 12 months MOT too (if the seller doesn't want to do this then walk away, as they probably have something to hide)! If you have no interest in cars, then a friend of mine has had two Almeras and had no major problems, so that would be my second choice. Older Mazdas have a higher propensity to rust in my opinion and Civics are good cars (I have a newer one) but not as well built as some methinks. No Toyota Corollas in your budget? Now, if reliability and cheap running costs are the most important thing to you, then they really are bulletproof! Having said that, the only time that I bought a car in this price range, it was a cosmetically poor (i.e. rusty) Mercedes C-Class diesel estate with 220,000 miles and no service history. It was the right price though, had 12 months MOT and felt fine, so I bought it and it was fine! Generally, if something doesn't feel right about a car to you, it isn't, so trust your instincts and walk away.

IDontKnowCars

Original Poster:

172 posts

109 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
white_goodman said:
OP, to be honest, they'll probably all be fine. Personally, as someone who has an interest in cars and enjoys driving, I would probably take the "Focus 2" if you can afford it, although isn't it still a Focus 1? (the seller seems to think it's a Fiesta)! I have never owned one but hear that they are generally reliable and are fun to drive (I think they require a specific grade of oil though)? A more complete service history is a good thing in my opinion, as you know that someone has tried to look after it and you're potentially saving yourself the extra initial outlay and then some further down the line. Personally, whether buying from a dealer or privately, I would always insist on 12 months MOT too (if the seller doesn't want to do this then walk away, as they probably have something to hide)! If you have no interest in cars, then a friend of mine has had two Almeras and had no major problems, so that would be my second choice. Older Mazdas have a higher propensity to rust in my opinion and Civics are good cars (I have a newer one) but not as well built as some methinks. No Toyota Corollas in your budget? Now, if reliability and cheap running costs are the most important thing to you, then they really are bulletproof! Having said that, the only time that I bought a car in this price range, it was a cosmetically poor (i.e. rusty) Mercedes C-Class diesel estate with 220,000 miles and no service history. It was the right price though, had 12 months MOT and felt fine, so I bought it and it was fine! Generally, if something doesn't feel right about a car to you, it isn't, so trust your instincts and walk away.
Sorry, by focus 1 and 2 I was just differentiating between two near identical cars. I didn't know "Focus 1" or "Focus 2" was an actual model name.

As for the Fiesta/Focus thing. I noticed that straight away too. The photos clearly show a Focus logo on the back so I don't know what the seller was thinking.

The seller has also listed it as manual when I just found out it is an automatic. So discounting that.

Actually, while typing this out I just found out it is sold anyway -_-

IDontKnowCars

Original Poster:

172 posts

109 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
Calza said:
Remember tax doesn't carry over - you'll have to put at least 6 months on whatever vehicle you buy.
Oh yeah, didn't realise this, thanks.

TwistingMyMelon

6,385 posts

204 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
OP:

Much of muchness, drive both, pick the one that is least broken

I had an auto version of the Honda (1.6) as a stopgap and it was one of the best cars I have ever had! It was bloody boring, but utterly reliable and the engine for a 1.6 pulled well. Nothing went wrong in a year, bar an indicator relay and it had been stood standing for 3 years before! It was also huuuuge inside and a tough car. One of the last "proper" boring Japanese cars that last the test of time